The Best Beef Chili Recipe

Why My Chili Is So Popular

My chili has been the way I incorporate lean meats and vegetable into my family’s diet for many years. It started with a need to raise the iron levels for one of my kiddos and formed into the family family recipe. After years of making this once a week, this recipe is the definition of tried and true:

• Chili is a great healthy dish because it’s made with lean meat, vegetables, and beans. It’s loaded with protein, fiber, and iron.
• Besides tasting great, I like adding beans to my chili because it does have great nutritional value. So if you’re debating whether to add beans to chili or not, I say go for it!
• I use this recipe as a way to hide more vegetables as well. I can pack it with veggies and no one every complains because it tastes amazing!
• I’ve worked out the right ingredients and seasoning for overall rich chili flavors!

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

There are a few key ingredients that I perfected over the years of making this chili:

• Bacon – use “original” bacon not one that is flavored with maple or brown sugar. That could throw off the whole taste of chili.
• Ground beef – for the best results, I found that ground beef that is 85%/15% meat to fat ratio works the best for flavor and texture. Anything lesser can be tough and leaves a lot of clumps, and anything with more fat is too greasy.
• Fire roasted diced tomatoes – add a little extra layer of flavor to the whole dish. Use regular canned diced tomatoes if fire-roasted is not available. Don’t use ones with extra spices of it will throw off your seasoning.
• Vegetables – I take this opportunity to pack it with vegetables. Sometimes, I add carrots as well. Additional veggies: Feel free to load your chili with veggies like carrots, celery, more bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, corn, winter squash, and avocado for topping.
• Seasoning – with is where the chili comes to life. I’ve curated a great blend of chili seasoning that packs a flavor punch. Chili seasoning is basically the spices and herbs that go into chili. Be generous with chili powder and make sure to add cumin, oregano, and paprika. I recommend smoked paprika for a smoky taste in chili. But my biggest tip is to taste your chili after it’s seasoned to see if you want more salt or spice.

How To Make This Beef Chili

Sear the bacon and ground beef. Sear diced bacon first, until it’s mostly done and fat is rendered and add ground beef. Beak it up as much as you can and mix and cook until most of the meat has browned. Take it all out of the pot and set aside.

Sauté veggies. Add a little more oil if needed and sauté onions and peppers until mostly softened. Once softened, make room for minced garlic and sauté until garlic is fragrant. Mix everything and add back the meats.

Beans, tomatoes, and seasoning. Drain beans and add them to the pot. NO need to rise the beans, it will add more flavor to the chili! Add can of diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and all the seasoning. Mix everything very well and stir in the beef stock.

Cook! Bring the chili to a low boil and then lower the heat to low. Cover with a lid but leave a small crack for the steam to escape. Cook on low heat for about 1 1/2. Take off the lid and let it cook uncovered for about 30-40 minutes. Remember to stir and break up the meat clumps well from time to time!

Tips For The Best Chili Recipe

To help regulate spice level in chili, you can add jalapenos or other spicy chili peppers. Adding spicier chili peppers can increase the spice level dramatically and if you add seeds from those peppers, that will bring up the heat even more.

Chili only gets better! I prefer to make chili ahead of time and eat it the next day. It really does taste best when it gets a chance to sit in the fridge overnight.

Recipe FAQ

Can I make it in the slow cooker?

Begin by browning bacon in a cooking pan, over medium heat. Add ground beef, break it all up, and cook until beef is browned. Transfer beef and bacon mixture into a Crock Pot. In the same pan where you cooked beef, add onions, peppers, and jalapeno. Sauté veggies until softened and add smashed and minced garlic. Sauté until garlic is fragrant and transfer veggie mixture onto the Crock Pot as well. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, broth, and seasoning to the Crock Pot. Stir everything well, cover, and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 6 hours. (Open and stir about once an hour.)

What is the best pairing with chili?

Cornbread is the most classic sidekick for chili, but you also can’t go wring with jalapeno cornbread, dinner rolls, and/or biscuits.

Can I leave the beans out?

Absolutely. If you are a firm believer or chili with no beans, you can leave it out completely. You can add extra veggies and a little extra meat or just omit without changes.

Can I leave out the bacon?

While bacon adds a great amount of flavor to the whole dish, if you must, you can skip it. Just start with cooking meat with some avocado or canola oil.

What if I want my chili thicker?

Simply omit or lessen the amount of beef stock.

Freezing Instructions

You will be happy to know that you can easily freeze chili:

• After chili is cooked, you will want to cool it as quickly as possible if you plan to freeze it. This will give bacteria less chance to build and extend the shelf life of food. The best way to cool chili quickly is to place the pot of chili into a larger container filled with ice and make sure to stir it from time to time as it cools.
• Once it’s cooled, portion it into smaller freezer bags, let all the air out, and close it well. Remember to label and date. Lay the bags flat on the cutting board and freeze. Chili can be frozen for up to 6 months.
• To Thaw: Make sure to slow-thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

PIN THIS RECIPE FOR LATER

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More Chili Recipes To Try

• Instant Pot Beef Chili
• Beer Beef Chili
• Turkey Chili
• Vegetarian Chili

Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in January, 2019.